Current transfer processes in a hydrated layer localized in a two-layer porous structure of nanosized ZrO2

Implementation of Cyclical Processes in the Moisture Electricity Generation for Continuous Operation

“…Moisture adsorbed on the surface of particles immediately turns into an electrolyte due to the partial dissociation of water, the presence in the surrounding atmosphere of ions of other origin, which are also adsorbed on the surface of particles, and a number of other electrochemical processes occurring at the solid/adsorbed water interface [1,2,4,[24][25][26] . As is known, a water molecule has the largest dipole moment of 6.13•10 À30 C•m among all molecules present in the atmosphere, therefore water molecules displace molecules of other substances and cover the surface of the particle with thin films.…”

“…[7,13] Thus, to increase the efficiency of such structures as a moisture electric generator, it is necessary to create conditions that will lead to an increase in the work performed by the counter ions and water molecules of the diffuse layer to compensate the charge of ions of the potential-determining layer (Figure 5). To do this, you can use processes caused by internal forces that arise due to the construction features of the moisture electric generator (fluid movement owing to the capillary effect, movement of counter ions in the case of a gradient of their concentration in the bulk of the structure , [2] the using of the asymmetric hygroscopic structure, [27][28][29] etc.). You can also use forces caused by external influences that lead to the destruction of the diffuse layer (temperature and humidity fluctuations, hydrostatic pressure differences, transfer of counter ions in the diffuse layer along with the flow of water, [6,[30][31][32] etc.).…”

“…However, materials that can be used to create moisture electric generators are currently being actively studied, they are protein nanowires , [6,9] carbon nanoparticles, [6,10,11] graphene, [6,12,13] oxide nanomaterials (TiO 2 , ZnO, Al 2 O 3 , CaSiO 3 ) [6,14] and others. [10][11][12][13][14][15][16] Among them, a special place is occupied by studies of oxide porous materials, [2,7,[10][11][12][13]17,18] on the surface of which a potential difference appears due to moisture adsorption, i.e., moisture electric generators.…”

“…The solar panels and wind farms can partially reduce the load on thermal, hydro, and other power plants in a number of regions, however, the complexity of the equipment and the dependence of the operation cycles of solar panels and wind farms on weather conditions sharply reduce their importance as alternative sources of electrical energy. Some new approaches to generating environmentally friendly electricity have arisen in connection with the use of the type II conductors, which to some extent reproduce the functions of semiconductor structures and nanostructures [ 1–4 ] and are capable of generating electricity.…”

“…To understand these mechanisms, it may be useful to involve the concepts used in the physics of semiconductor devices to the processes occurring in such structures in the presence of a humidity gradient, as was done in. [ 1,2,4 ]…”